For fashion lovers, the heat is on in Saigon

By Thin Lei Win

HO CHI MINH CITY (Reuters Life!) - Backstreet tailors are so last season.

Vietnam is starting to make a name for itself as a fashion paradise, and we're not talking about 24-hour tailors and sequinned handbags.

Ho Chi Minh City, which most still call by its old name Saigon, may be better known for its millions of motorcycles, never-ending noise, and bustling markets such as Ben Thanh in the centre of town.

But shoppers increasingly find that they get more bang for their buck if they seek out local and regional designers, whose collections are starting to be shown in London and New York.

"10 years ago there was nothing except small tailors and tourist stores," says French-born Valerie Gregori McKenzie, who has lived here for 16 years and owns high-end label Song, meaning "life".

"They are still there but you now have a lot of new designers that use Vietnamese craft as an inspiration and mix Vietnamese heritage and western influence," she adds.

She should know. Gregori McKenzie founded her label, which offers eco-friendly clothes, homeware and kitchenware, in 1997. Song products are sold in luxury resorts and in Gregori McKenzie's shop on 76D Le Than Ton, District 1. She also designs for international brands such as Habitat and Nicole Farhi.

"If tourists are looking further than the local market or tourist streets, they will find fabulous things to bring back and actually use. Most creations by local designers are hand-made and this is something that is no longer available almost anywere else in the world, unless at crazy prices," she says.